Bitòn Coulibaly (1689?–1755), also known as Mamary Coulibaly, founded the

Bambara Empire Bambara or Bambarra may refer to: * Bambara people, an ethnic group, primarily in Mali ** Bambara language, their language, a Manding language ** Bamana Empire, a state that flourished in present-day Mali (1640s–1861) * ''Bambara'' (beetle), a g ...

in what is now

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

Ségou Region Ségou Region (Bambara language, Bambara: ߛߋߓߎ ߘߌߣߋߖߊ tr. Segu Dineja) is an administrative region in Mali, situated in the centre of the country with an area of , around 5% of Mali. The region is bordered by Sikasso Region on the sout ...

and

Mopti Region Mopti (Fula language, Fulfulde: 𞤁𞤭𞥅𞤱𞤢𞤤 𞤃𞤮𞥅𞤩𞤼𞤭𞥅, transliterated ''Diiwal Moobti'') is the fifth administrative region of Mali, covering 79,017 km2. Its capital is the city of Mopti. During the Mali War, ...

Biography

Great-grandson of former

Ségou Ségou (; , ) is a town and an Communes of Mali, urban commune in south-central Mali that lies northeast of Bamako on the right bank of the River Niger. The town is the capital of the Ségou Cercle and the Ségou Region. With 130,690 inhabitant ...

king

Kaladian Coulibaly Kaladian Coulibaly was a West African ruler who founded one of the first large Bambara kingdoms, centered on Ségou in what is now Mali. Originally from Kong in what is now the Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and of ...

, Mamary Coulibaly settled in Ségou in his youth and soon became head of the Tòn, a voluntary organization for young men, taking the title of "Bitòn." Under Coulibaly's leadership, the Tòn transformed from an egalitarian society into an army supplemented with runaway slaves called the ''Ton djon''. Prompted by popular uprising against the king of Ségou, the populace suggested he take over the leadership of the Bambara kingdom. Coulibaly quickly subdued rival chiefs of Ségou through a vote a

cloture Cloture (, ), closure or, informally, a guillotine, is a motion or process in parliamentary procedure aimed at bringing debate to a quick end. The cloture procedure originated in the French National Assembly, from which the name is taken. is ...

of the chiefs, and used the city as a capital for his new Bambara Empire. Fortifying himself with defensive techniques from the Songhai tradition, Coulibaly created a large army and a navy of war

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

s to patrol the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

, staffing both with men captured in his conquests. Coulibaly then proceeded to capture the cities of

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

and Djenne; he also attacked

Tomboctou Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census. A ...

, though he held the city only briefly. During this time he also founded the city of Bla as an outpost and armory. He built a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in Ségou. Bitòn Coulibaly was succeeded by Dinkoro Coulibaly following his death in 1755. The Coulibaly dynasty soon fell to

Ngolo Diarra Ngolo Diarra was faama of the Bambara Empire from 1766 to 1790. As a young man his village, Niola, gave Ngolo to the state as ''disongo'' annual tribute and became a ''ton djon'' or slave warrior in the service of Bitòn Coulibaly. After his r ...

, a former slave and leader of the ''ton djon'', in 1766. Slaves had the right to property, and could win their way to nobility, as Diarra did.

Tomb

In 2019 Coulibaly's tomb had the inscription "Biton Mamary Coulibaly / Founder of the Kingdom / Banana of Segou Sekoro / Reign 1712-1755". ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 06 - 77 - La tombe de Bitòn Coulibali - Ségoukoro, Mali - Nov.-déc. 1983.jpg, Tomb from a distance, 1983 ASC Leiden - van Achterberg Collection - 06 - 78 - Un homme près de la tombe de Bitòn Coulibaly - Ségoukoro, Mali - Nov.-déc. 1983.jpg, Tomb of Bitòn Coulibaly - Ségoukoro, Mali, 1983 La_tombe_de_Biton.jpg, The tomb of Biton Mamary Coulibaly, 2019

In popular culture

Super Biton de Ségou Super Biton de Ségou, Super Biton for short and also known as the Orchestre Régional de Segou and Super Biton National de Ségou, are an African jazz musical group. They were especially popular and influential in the 1970s, when they became th ...

, a Malian afro-jazz band, was founded in the 1960s in Ségou. Named after Bitòn Coulibaly, they are Mali's oldest dance band, and one of the oldest African orchestras.

References

*Lilyan, Kesteloot: ''L'Epopée Bambara de Ségou I and II'', Paris : Fernand Nathan, 1971. Paris : Editions L'Harmattan, 1993. *Davidson, Basil: ''Africa in History''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.

External links

Timeline of Western Sudan
(

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the third-largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the Americas. With 5.36 million v ...

: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.)
Pre-colonial Malian History
(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Coulibaly, Biton 18th-century Muslims Bamana Empire 1755 deaths 18th-century monarchs in Africa Year of birth unknown Faamas